The vast popularity and intense fandom of Game of Thrones is all good news for HBO, but it's worth remembering that they haven't always been the savviest people when it comes to programming. Let's ignore the fact that the previous head of programming drowned two, count'em, two projects with well-known maker of brilliant images and stories David Fincher over budgetary concerns, despite the fact that they fork over more than the yearly GDP of several African countries per episode of Game of Thrones. Let's also forget that they botched early adaptations of Watchmen, which was to be Paul Greengrass' first American television venture, and Preacher, though that one has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise with AMC now doing very well with the project.
No, the biggest stick in my - and thousands of other viewers - craw is that they forced Deadwood to end before a proper ending could be put in place by creator-writer David Milch. That's the one that still stings after all these years, long after Deadwood has rightly been appraised as simply one of the best and most ambitious series to ever be put on the small screen. But HBO is not one to ignore their fanbase, and for a few years now, its been rumored that a Deadwood movie, which would air on HBO, is in the works and that more or less was confirmed last year, but very little has been heard since. Well, that changed when HBO's new head of programming Casey Bloys took to the TCA stage to discuss all things HBO, from seasons three of True Detective to Curb Your Enthusiasm's return to, yes, the Deadwood movie.
"David is writing the script. We haven’t read it yet...I imagine it will be very good,” is how Bloys responded to questions about the return of the beloved Western series. And though he wouldn't outright commit to a green light for the movie, he said that he "feels good" about the project and is impatient to read what Milch has been writing. So am I, but I can't say I blame Bloys for being hesitant to commit to a returning series, even with the same voice behind the project. Mind you, The X-Files recently returned for an abbreviated six-episode series with Chris Carter and several other key members of the original creative team behind it, and it was, in whole, a catastrophe. And this is coming from someone who even defends those last few seasons of the original series. So, fingers crossed and all, but let's not push it if it turns out the end result will be worse than the tacked-on ending we already have.
